


After Afterall

by thefangirlingdead



Series: In Another Life [3]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Fluff, I'll add more tags as this goes on, M/M, Memories, Reincarnation, a tiny bit of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-30
Updated: 2014-07-30
Packaged: 2018-02-11 02:07:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2049291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thefangirlingdead/pseuds/thefangirlingdead
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is sort of the fluffy epilogue for my <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/series/70480">In Another Life</a> series. Erwin and Levi's lives after they finally find one another.</p>
            </blockquote>





	After Afterall

**Author's Note:**

> _I still love you_  
>  _I still want you_  
>  _I still need you_  
>  _Afterall_  
>  \- [After Afterall](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoigfEk9NUY) \- William Fitzsimmons
> 
> So I toyed with the idea of writing this or not for quite a while, but I felt like a terrible person for writing such a sad, angsty fic like [Impact](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1756733/chapters/3755181) and figured that I was long overdue for just writing some fluff. So here's the third (and final, unless I come up with something else, haha) installment of the In Another Life series!
> 
> If you have any ideas for this, I'm all ears, as each chapter is just going to be a fluffy one shot, and I'm not quite sure how long this is going to be, yet. This chapter is also un-betaed because I was really anxious to get it up, so bear with me if there are any mistakes.
> 
> As always, thank you all so much for reading! I love you all! <3

It's two in the morning by the time that Levi pulls up in front of his apartment building, Erwin - _holy shit, Erwin_ \- in the passenger seat of his car, looking excitedly up at the building. He'd half-heartedly offered to take Erwin home after midnight, back to wherever it was that he was staying in Aspen, but Erwin wasn't really itching to part ways just yet, and Levi was glad, because if he had to say goodbye to Erwin already, even if just for the night, after waiting for so long, he just might lose it.

So they sit in the car for a bit longer, until their fingers and toes get cold, the heat not quite warming them up enough. They sit in the car outside of Levi's workplace until Erwin finally asks Levi to take him home - asks to see his place. And while it's not necessarily something that Levi's proud of, he agrees. He'd give anything for more time with Erwin, so he agrees.

Levi unlocks the door and lets it swing open in front of them after two flights of stairs, allowing Erwin to step into his dark apartment before him. "It isn't much..." he mutters as he steps in behind Erwin, hitting the light switch.

And it really isn't. Erwin glances around the apartment as his eyes adjust to the light, and he can't help but notice how empty the place looks - like it hasn't really been lived in. Granted, Levi's living quarters had looked similar before, barren and simple, but this is different - this is Levi's _home_ in this life. There aren't any photos on the walls, which Erwin didn't expect, but only makes the apartment look even more empty. He also can't help but notice that there aren't any sort of Christmas decorations set up. It's not that he really expected it - it's _Levi_ after all, he's not very festive - but still...

The only photo that Erwin _does_ see in the apartment is a small framed one, sitting on top of a book shelf on the opposite end of the living room. While Levi moves to fetch them some tea, Erwin crosses the room silently to the photo, picking it up. It's an older picture - Levi looks about sixteen or seventeen in it, and Erwin is silently grateful that he at least gets to see photos of a younger Levi in this life. He's standing in front of a gorgeous mountain range alongside a small, skinny woman and a taller, more built man in the photo, who Erwin assumes are Levi's parents. The woman looks just like Levi, with long raven hair, sharp features and short stature. The man in the photo looks less like him, but Erwin can see where he got his semi-permanent scowl from. He smiles down at the photo, unaware of the way that Levi freezes in the kitchen when he catches him looking at it.

"What are your plans for tomorrow?" Erwin asks at last, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled between the two of them. He glances up from the photo, to where Levi stands in the small kitchen, two cups in his hand, frozen in spot.

Levi immediately shakes himself out of his trance, though, shrugging. "You," he replies simply, and at that he's moving again.

Erwin smiles, heart warm at Levi's answer. He sets the picture back on the bookshelf, leaving it in favor of the real thing. "No," he murmurs softly, "I mean for Christmas... Are you planning on spending time with your family, or-"

"I don't have any family," Levi bites out, cutting Erwin off before he can finish his question. There's no venom in his voice, but the way he says it is short - he doesn't want to talk about it. Erwin, however, has always been one to push. He knows Levi's limits, he'll know if he crosses a line...

"What about your parents?" he asks innocently.

Levi watches him, silent for a moment, before speaking. "They died when I was nineteen," he says, and there's no emotion in his voice at the words, just emptiness. Nothing. And Erwin's heart absolutely _breaks_. After everything they talked about in the car and on the drive to the apartment, Levi never mentioned any family - never mentioned his parents. Erwin should have picked up on it - he should have known - but he was too distracted, too enthralled by Levi, sitting in the car next to him, tangible and real.

"Levi-"

" _Don't_ ," Levi mutters before he even has a chance to say anything. And _now_ , now there's a thickness in his voice, in his throat when he speaks. There's that emotion that had been missing, laced in his words, pricking at the corners of his eyes. "Please, don't," he says, "I don't need you to feel sorry for me. I'm fine."

And Erwin knows. He _knows_ that Levi is fine - he's always been _fine_. He's strong, stronger than he looks, stronger than Erwin. But still, his eyes glass over when he speaks and it kills Erwin. It kills him, because he should have been there. He should have been there to hold Levi, to comfort him when he needed it, and he wasn't. He can't help the guilt, the sorrow that rises up in his chest. He can't help the way that he steps forward, into the kitchen. "I don't pity you," Erwin murmurs, reaching out for Levi's hands. And Levi allows him to touch, to graze their fingers together just barely, gently. "You know that."

Levi nods, swallowing hard, his eyes fixated on where their hands touch. "I know."

Erwin closes the gap between them at that, one hand reaching out to tilt Levi's chin up, really _looking_ at him before he leans down to kiss him. This kiss is different than the others, too - different than the first one that they shared back in the bar. It's long and deep and passionate, and when Erwin eventually pulls away, looking down at Levi, the tears are all but gone in Levi's eyes. And Levi is strong, he always has been, but right now, he needs Erwin.

Before he can think his words over, Levi is speaking. "Stay the night," he murmurs, voice thick, showing just a bit of weakness. He's always felt vulnerable, allowing himself to open up like this, even around Erwin, but he needs to. "Please."

And of course Erwin nods, dipping his head down again to press another chaste kiss on Levi's lips. "Of course."

They don't finish their tea. By the time Levi finishes making it, it's almost three in the morning and both men are yawning, exhausted and trying desperately to stay awake, as if the other will disappear if they close their eyes for just one second. But eventually, they find themselves shuffling into Levi's bedroom, tea long forgotten, gone cold on the kitchen table.

Erwin shuts the bedroom door behind himself and before being prompted, he's already pulling his shirt up and over his head, folding it neatly before setting it on top of Levi's dresser. When he glances up at Levi from where he stands, he can't help but smile at the way that his gaze lingers, jaw slightly dropped as he takes him in. And before Erwin has a chance to say anything, Levi is speaking.

"I can't believe you're here," he murmurs, voice taking on a soft quality that is reserved specifically for Erwin, for moments like this, "You're real..."

Erwin smiles in return, his chest swelling and warming and Levi's words. Levi's never really been one to talk about his feelings or voice what he's thinking, so moments like these are sacred - they're special. He takes a couple of steps forward, closing the gap between their bodies, his hands soft on Levi's hips. "I'm here," he breaths, leaning down.

And it's Levi who finally arches up, pressing his lips to Erwin’s, soft and easy like they've been doing it for years. Because really, they have. When he pulls away, his eyes are low, heavy with sleep, and he smiles softly up at Erwin. "Let’s go to bed," he says, reaching for one of Erwin's hands.

They don't have sex. There's no tearing each other's clothes of or hot, passionate kisses as they fall into Levi's mattress, lips and tongues and limbs intertwined. As much as they've missed each other, that's not what they need right now. No, _right now_ , both men are just happy to be in the other's company, and when Erwin climbs into Levi's bed after him, it feels easy, natural.

"When was the last time we did this?" Levi asks, turning to face Erwin as he lies down, allowing Levi's scent to envelop him as he rolls to his side on the pillows. He could get used to this.

Erwin smiles, "The last time we got to spend the night together?"

Levi nods against his pillows, "Yeah."

Erwin thinks for a moment - _remembers_ for a moment - eyes fixated on a point on the wall in the darkness above Levi's head, before answering. "Just before we left for the capital - before we caught Annie," he says, nodding to himself, "I think that was the last time we had a chance to relax..."

"Before everything went to Hell..." Levi mutters.

"Before everything went to Hell," Erwin echoes, voice taking on a far-away quality as he remembers that night. He and Levi had sex shortly after returning to their quarters that night, and just as he was about to leave, Erwin had, uncharacteristically, begged him to stay. He vaguely remembers saying something along the lines of _"What if this is our last chance?"_ to which Levi had just snorted and scoffed, _"Don't be so melodramatic."_

"I'm sorry," Levi breaths, shaking Erwin out of his thoughts, "That we didn't do this more. If I would have known-"

"Don't you dare apologize for that," Erwin says, cutting Levi off before he can get another word out, "It isn't your fault, Levi. Neither of us knew what would happen." _We both knew how easily one of us could die_ , he doesn't say.

Levi nods against him, and Erwin's not sure if he believes the words, but at least he listens. Instead of arguing, Levi moves closer to Erwin, resting his head on his chest, and Erwin's arm wraps around Levi in return, holding him in place, holding him close. And for a moment, it's quiet between the two of them, save for Levi's soft breathing and Erwin's heartbeat in his ear. In fact, after a few minutes, Erwin is certain that Levi has fallen asleep against him - his body is relaxed, eyes closed, breathing deep and slow, and Erwin's just closing his own eyes as well when Levi finally breaks the silence.

"I can't believe you're here..." he murmurs softly, pulling himself impossibly closer against Erwin's body.

Erwin smiles into the darkness. "I know," he replies softly, "I keep getting this feeling that I'm going to wake up and you'll just slip away - like this is all just a dream..."

Levi actually snorts at that, lifting his head off of Erwin's chest. And while it's hard to see in the darkness of Levi's bedroom, Erwin catches the glint in his eyes when the smaller man looks at him. "I'm not going anywhere," he assures.

And Erwin leans forward at that to kiss Levi. The darkness causes him to miss on the first try, just barely catching the corner of Levi's lips, and Levi chuckles in response. He leans up at that, holding Erwin's face with his free hand, as if to steady him, before kissing him again, their lips slotting perfectly together in the dark. And _finally_ , everything just seems to click into place.


End file.
